Engaged Opportunity Grants
Course of Trade
Developing the future apparel workforce in New York City
In the 1980s, most U.S. apparel manufacturing moved to countries with lower labor costs. Now talented sewing operators are aging and retiring, and there are not enough qualified operators to take their place. Sewing is a teachable skill set that can open doors to well-paying jobs for those who need them most. This is why the Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) team is collaborating with nonprofit organization Course of Trade, founded by Cornell alumna Libby Mattern ’11, to support the next generation of the apparel workforce in New York City. The project team is surveying apparel manufacturing firms to identify in-demand skills, assessing Course of Trade’s existing training modules and developing new training materials.
Grant category: Other
Topics: Access, Equity and Justice; Education
The Team
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Fatma Baytar, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
College of Human Ecology
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Fran Kozen, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
College of Human Ecology
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Tasha Lewis, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
College of Human Ecology
- Community partner: Course of Trade, founded by Libby Mattern '11
Engaged Opportunity Grants
Supporting a wide range of community-engaged learning projects, from student leadership programs and partnership building to events and conference travel. Open to all faculty and staff.